fate fractal
by crisis rain
Summary: A 'Sixth' Heaven's Feel is occurring once more in Fuyuki. Diarmuid is reunited with the Throne of Heroes - and is delivered to a magus-turned-Master who became tangled with the affairs of the Holy Grail after bearing witness to murder. OC/Zero-Lancer
1. prologue to a parallax boundary

**Fate/fractal**  
><em>by crisis rain<em>

* * *

><p><strong>1218/2029 TUESDAY 11:39PM**  
><strong>FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN<strong>

Feet pounded the uneven concrete sidewalk, wearing out the soles as a figure ran through the night.

The cold winter air was stinging with a hot-blooded pulse, and her breath quickened as she urged her own body to run faster – otherwise, if she didn't, she won't be able to escape the looming shadow that was pursuing her. Her chest was aching, her eyes seeing bright spots from the lack of oxygen as she continuously ran, sprinting down the lonesome, empty neighbourhood street.

A lamplight flickered to life from above, and she momentarily caught a short rest as she leaned against the concrete pillar, shaking hands pressed against the rough surface. A wet footstep from nearby behind reminded her of her plight, and she took off once more - her tired legs pumping back into action once more.

A single thought only entered her mind - why? Just an hour ago, she was just another passerby in the streets, just another figure, another number on the map of this city.

Now, she was marked as fresh prey from a supernatural - no, from some phenomenal hunter, and if she didn't do anything quickly soon, she won't live to see tomorrow morning.

_"Calm down, just think for a second."_ She urged herself to keep composure, but she could not deny the wild beating of her heart or how cold her blood has run from the thickness of fear she could sense in the air. A sudden sharp sound of steel hitting the pavement dangerously close beside her shook her back into action, and she spared one look of horror behind her.

A tall, looming finger with lanky arms and legs that looked like stilts walked idly towards her, its steps wide and light. Clenched between the spaces of its fingers on both hands, were curved, silver little blades - identical to the one that had been thrown at her from a distance. A black coat with lapels draped over its thin body - and oddly enough, a Victorian-styled top hat rested snugly on top of the hairless head. A single, bright eye popped open, gleaming a bloodlust red in the darkness.

"HnnhHNnnhgggGGGGhhnnn... wHEre aRE yoU goInG mY dEAR?"

A ravaged, rasping moan came floating out from the creature's mouth, its words riddled with a dry wheeze and a primal edge filled with a predatory intent. The young woman spun around abruptly, extending out a hand infused with prana.

_"Thurisaz! Thurisaz, thurisaz... th, th, th, th, th..."_ The extended hand immediately changed into a firing posture, and a circlet of prana shot out, striking at the dreaded figure in the distance. _"Th, th, th, th! Thur, thar, thur, ther, thor!"_ With each stressed Runic syllable, more shots are fired, the prana projectiles crackling with electricity as they are imbued with the power of Thor.

The last round of Gandr magic pellets were deftly sliced away by the fan of throwing knives in the monster's hand, and he grinned widely, baring sharpened teeth under the dim light. She swallowed nervously, before turning around to make her escape once more.

Gandr seemed to be ineffective against the enemy. Just what exactly on earth is he? She huffed lightly as she rounded past a corner, nearly toppling over the trashcans that had been left there to rot. Feet skidded on concrete once more, as she pushed her mind to bring up any other possible solutions and a way out of this mess.

_'Ah! If I remember correctly...'_ Just right about here, there was a small shortcut to a playground park. But simply straying off the main street would lure him after the sound of her footsteps, regardless of where she went. What to do?

_"Nauthiz. Nudh nadh nudh nedh niodh. Nauthis."_ Expending yet another portion of her prana, the girl released a wispy, wavering trail of silver light that streamed from her finger tips. A basic Runic protection spell, it would hide her image and cloak her footsteps for just enough time for her to get away. The ghostly veil shimmered for a moment, before wrapping itself around her shoulders like a cloak. The effects will last - until it disappears. For the time being, she heaved in another deep breath and sprinted off, down the narrow, dark route towards the playground park.

The looming shadow stopped when it suddenly lost sight of his prey. "WhERE... wheREEEEEEeeEE?" Another pair of footsteps caught up with the impossibly tall man, revealing that they belong to a rather young man with short, dark hair and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. A small smirk curled upon his thin lips. "Gandr magic again, huh? As expected of Aozaki's pupil."

A bloodcurdling scream escaped the monster's lungs at the rage of having his prey escaping.

From the distance, she could hear the enraged shrieks of the monster that had been hotly pursuing her. Swallowing a hard lump of fear down her throat, she dashed the last stretch of concrete, both sides fenced with bushy overgrowth towering above, obscuring the moonlight, making it a rather dark and frightening place to the common passerby. But she wasn't a common passerby - she was a magus. Things like darkness and the night time were the veils of magic that lay hidden deep within the civilization known as "modern society".

With the faint, faraway torch of the park's lamplight coming into clear fous, she sighed almost happily in relief and made her way out cautiously, gazing around quickly, heart and pulse still beating hard.

_"When the time comes, use it. You'll know when."_

That was Aozaki Touko's words to her before she left London for Japan - to use the "artifact" if she should ever come under dire circumstances. Right now, she could safely say she was in a rather dire situation - that "thing" that was after her was a product of magic, alright. What confused her was that it was a spirit - possessing a flesh and blood body, making it similar to a familiar, yet at the same time, it wasn't. Necromancy? No, the body would be decayed and rotting for a 'ghoul' to take form. Too many questions, too little answers. And not much time before the effects of her Nauthiz Gandr spell will wear off.

She took out the paper-wrapped parcel from beneath her jacket flap. It was relatively small, about the size of her hand, and there was a piece of parchment attached to the string that tied the package in place. A note from Touko-san, it seems.

_To my beloved pupil,_

_If you're reading this now, that means it's time to use the artifact. Don't you dare waste it on something cheap, I spent two months worth of your paycheck on this thing. If you come back with it gone, I'll have your head, you blundering fool._

_- Touko_

_P.S. Use a summoning glyph. And don't die before you finish it, fool._

She really wanted to laugh, she honestly did. Crumpling up Touko's sarcastic little message of love up, she shoved it into her jacket pocket and hastily set it aside, glancing about to see what she can made do. A summoning glyph, huh... Unfortunately, she was in the middle of a city in Japan. Easy access to animal blood to draw the glyph and other pagan ritual tools were out of the question.

Her eyes spotted some large pieces of sidewalk chalk that the neighbourhood children had left behind. She sighed, and picked a piece up before setting down to quick work.

Drawing glyphs were somewhat of her specialty. Because of Touko's nit-picky preferences on how she liked her Runic glyphs to be drawn almost perfectly, a simple summoning circle fashioned like how it was done during the age of the Druids wasn't too hard of a task for her to complete. But what compelled her to draw as quickly and perfectly as she can, was the fact that she was pressed for time. Touko was right - there was no meaning behind giving her such a rare artifact if she were to be found before she can even finish the ritual.

"Alright! Done." She stood up quickly after being bent over the concrete pavement for so long, taking a quick moment to admire her work. She was now standing above a six-feet diameter summoning circle, the white chalk lines boldly glaring up at the night sky beneath her feet. Picking up the paper-wrapped artifact, she unwrapped it gingerly, and a large splinter of animal bone appeared peeking from beneath the manila sheets.

No - it wasn't bone. Judging by how long-lasting the quality of this thing, and if it was as old as Touko proclaimed it to be - it was teeth. A curved tusk, perhaps from a rather large animal. But this was simply just the sharp point of it - and the sharpnes has long dulled from age, yellowed and stained with a deeper shade that seems to be... blood?

Whatever the case was, she must hurry.

Setting down the tusk in the center of the magic circle, she backed up until she was standing directly in front of the circle, and concentrated, forcing her heart to assume a steady rhythm despite every nerve in her body standing on end as her protection spell dissipated. Prana pulsed in her circuits. She raised a hand, breathing deeply.

_"Ehwo, ehwo, ehwo... e e e e h w o o o... ehwu ehwa ehwi ehwe ehwo. Ehwo ehwe ehwi ehwa ehwu... e e e e h w o o o..."_ Chanting that single rune over and over again, the preliminary stage of the ritual was complete. She's set the stage. Now was the time to actually summon it - whatever it was - and hope and pray to the gods that some miracle would help her out of this death situation.

_"Iarraim ar do shon. Tar go mo chúnamh. Tar go mo thaobh. Spiorad, aird mo ghlao, tar chugam, ar a dtugtar an ceann Aisling!"_

Every nerve of her body was on fire. Every fiber of her being was burning - her circuits were surging, soaring with power. She could feel the flow of prana exiting her fingertips at the same time, a new, foreign source of magic flowed back inside. It was giving birth to a form, a shape - and her mind that was numb from the process momentarily leapt in joy at this prospect. Her prana was at its top peak when it's closer to midnight, the hour when the world slipped from one day to the next - she couldn't say if it was almost ironic how perfect the time was, regarding her situation, but still she stood, feeling as if a piece of hot iron was being forcibly inserted inside her body - the result of her magic circuits reacting to the summoning.

"IiIIiii fOuND yOUuuuuUuuuUUUUu!"

The familiar shriek nearly shook her out of her cradle of focus, but she persisted. It was almost finished... just a little more...!

Her vision was cut off by whiteness as the prana exploded into fruition, but that soon cleared away when she noticed the sharp point of a knife hurtling towards her face.

_Clang!_

A thin line of crimson steel blocked the oncoming attack, spinning in a perfect arch and knocking the silver knife away. But all she could see was the gleam of a blood red spear contrasting against the darkening, blue night sky, and the shower of light particles that flowed upwards, their atoms vibrating and pulsing with a glow that was ephemeral; prana, that did not belong to her. Or anyone else she would know of, for that matter.

A well-built man clad in green armour stood before her, a hand clutching the crimson spear, and gold in the other. Dusky waves of unkempt hair, a pair of tawny-amber eyes.

A beauty mark, right beneath his left eye.

He seem to gaze with a look of contempt at the lunatic monster before him as if he were some madman, before turning back to face her, his frown shifting into a look of seriousness.

**"I ask of you - are you my Master?"**


	2. parallax boundary i

**Fate/fractal  
><strong>_by crisis rain_

* * *

><p><strong>1210/2029 MONDAY 10:14AM  
><strong>**LONDON, ENGLAND**

"What?"

The pair of cool, brown eyes that had been so intently staring at the raindrops running down the window pane flared up in surprise. She tilted her head back to face her mentor who was suited comfortably in front of her rather messy and large desk, with papers and other odd things she had picked up from her travels, on top of its surface. The crimson-haired women puffed heavily from her cigarette before letting out a drag of ashy smoke that wafted upwards into the air vents.

"You're going back to Japan." The woman simply answered, staring plaintively back at her pupil. The young woman blinked uncertainly before a look of discomfort passed through her eyes.

"Why? Am I being fired or some-"

"No, no. It's a client request." Aozaki Touko dismissed the ludicrous idea from her young employee, taking another drag of her cigarette. "It's from the Mage's Association, actually." She started, smoke rising from her mouth. "And I can't be bothered to go all the way back, halfway across the world just to investigate some silly old leylines."

The employee fidgeted, the looks on her face disheartening. She didn't like this one bit. "Touko-san, there has to be a reason if they're questing specifically for you to do the job."

In other words, if the great puppetmaster Aozaki Touko was called to take upon a request, such investigation must be rather... dangerous.

"Think of it as the final exam to my tutelage." Touko offhandedly replied, as if the hidden praise in her pupils words didn't strike home. She reached over for some papers, and slapped it down on her desk. "I've already prepared everything for you. The plane ticket, lodging, some extra spending money -"

"Touko-san!"

"Tch." Touko rubbed her forehead, glaring at the long-haired girl for a moment. At times like this, she really was beginning to resemble a certain someone she had detested as much as her heart could bear. She had tried to work the stuffings of "Aozaki Touko" in her little pupil, but try as she might, there would always be that certain uncanniness she would possess akin to Aozaki Aoko.

"Listen up, Rekka; the Mage's Association only sent for me because, as a magus who stands on neutral grounds, I would be the perfect person to ask to investigate this... certain matter at hand."

"And that matter is...?" Rekka impatiently drummed her fingers, arms crossed over her chest.

Touko snuffed out the lit end of her smoke, pinching it down on the ashtray beside her. "Say, Rekka; have you ever heard of the **Holy Grail**?"

Of course she has. Every magus knows. "Of course." She answered stiffly. "Who do you take me for?"

A sly smile crept on Touko's face. "Well, that saves the explanation. In short, the Association wants me to go investigate the possible existence of a sixth Holy Grail in Japan. As you know, there are numerous 'fake' Grails, and the one in Fuyuki City is of no exception."

"Hah..." Rekka blinked uneasily. Somehow this request seemed rather dangerous, afterall.

"I just want you to do a bit of snooping around... check out the city's leylines, investigate any abnormal patterns you can. You're a magus, and you've received training from yours truly; I'm confident in your abilities." Although Touko's words brought forth a sense of happiness to Rekka, she couldn't help but to feel like a foolish stand-in for her crafty teacher.

"...That's it?" Rekka cautiously affirmed. Touko nodded. "That's it, basically. Think of it as taking a month off from work. I'm relieving you of your duties for that long. Enjoy the scenery of your homeland once in a while."

"...Touko-san. Japan is your homeland as well, you know." Rekka sarcastically replied, turning a cheek away to face the window once more.

A laugh escaped from the woman. A pair of non-rimmed spectacles laid upon the mound of papers on her desk.

"You'll be alright. You're my apprentice, after all." She would smile, steadily gazing at the girl in front of her. The last stream of smoke fading away from the snubbed cigarette vanished in the airspace.

* * *

><p><strong>1217/2029 MONDAY 3:27PM  
><strong>**LONDON, ENGLAND**

"Touko-san. I'm quite sure I have everything with me." The plain complaint in her voice was warranting the young apprentice to quickly run away from her teacher. But that would be bad. After all, her mentor was Aozaki Touko. The bespectacled woman merely smiled back, hand at her hips.

"Rekka; you never know until the moment you've boarded the plane." Touko gave her another bright smile, before adjusting the strap of her purse. "Oh that's right - I have something to give you." A perplexed expression came over Rekka's face at the very notion. Touko rummaged through the contents of her purse, withdrawing a paper-wrapped parcel and handed it over to the young girl.

"Here; a parting gift from me. Something for you to use only if you find yourself in a dire circumstance. Which shouldn't be too uncommon - after all, we're dealing with magic." A hearty laugh escaped her lips. Rekka pursed her lips together, staring at the parcel in her hands.

"I'm still wondering if this is alright...?" Her question pertained to the standing issue of how she was going in place of her master to fulfill a request from the Mage's Association. Surely they would feel cheated if they found out that Touko herself didn't take that plane back to Japan?

"Of course, don't be foolish!" Touko grinned back. "Just one month. Sorry it's not paid vacation, though."

A ruffled look that spelled out, "I knew it." was written all over her apprentice's face. "It's alright; I'll manage on my own."

"Thatta girl."

"Now boarding on Flight 258, from London Heathrow Airport to Narita Airport... I repeat... all passengers are now to board Flight 258..."

"Well then. I'm off now." The girl gripped a firm hand around the handle of her suitcase, shuffling the parcel into her carry-on bag. Touko smiled faintly. "Take care now."

The girl wheeled her suitcase after her, approaching the flight steward with a solemn expression on her face. "Passport and ticket?" He inquired in thick English, extending out a hand with a questioning brow, wondering if she understood what he was saying.

"Rekka Tsugumi. Seat 24B." She replied in even English, handing him her passport and ticket. A photo of the girl impassively glancing back at the camera flashed before the steward's eyes, and he nodded. And she continued on, without looking back.

The drone of a jet engine roared from above in the grey skies overlooking London.


	3. parallax boundary ii

**Fate/fractal  
><strong>_by crisis rain_

* * *

><p><strong>1218/2029 9:41AM  
>FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN<strong>

The door unlocked from the outside and opened, spilling bright light into the shuttered, dark apartment. A look of haggard fatigue was present on Rekka's face as she peeked inside cautiously, glancing around the place. The tenant stood outside, smiling slightly at the young girl. "Just find my office on the first floor if you need anything, Tsugumi-san. Then... the keys I'll leave here." He gestured to the dangling keys that were still hanging inside the lock. "Take your time unpacking."

Rekka watched the mousy, little man that was her tenant for the next month walk down the outdoor corridor, shivering in the December cold. Steadily grasping the key and wrenching it free out of the lock, she lugged her suitcase and duffel bag inside her apartment, slamming the door shut.

She was tired beyond belief. Her eyes were bloodshot from enduring the teeth-grinding experience aboard the plane that took nearly eight hours to cross the Eurasian continents, across the East China Sea and all the way to Japan.

And then a long, two-hour bus trip to Fuyuki City.

She would unpack later. Dropping the bag by the doorway while lazily locking up, she dumped the keys by the nearby kitchen counter and promptly fell on top of the unmarked mattress in the middle of the small unit, the peace and quiet finally lulling her to a deep sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>1218/2029 9:03PM  
>FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN<strong>

Half of the day had passed since then. The sun had long set, and the evening turned into the dark pitch black of the night time hour. The city was still glowing; illuminated brightly. In this apartment complex that was situated very close by to the Mion River, she could see from her window a nice view of the harbour as well as the bright lights glittering from Shinto, compared to the quieter half of the older area of Fuyuki.

She stepped out of the steaming shower, wrapping back her long, wet locks in a thick towel, bundling up as she dried it off quickly. Pulling a dark turtleneck shirt over her torso, she glanced at the slightly fogged-up mirror, combing back a few runaway streaks of wet hair back into place.

Rekka stared at the outside scenery for a long time while blow-drying her hair, eyes fixed at the glimmering, artificial lights.

A map was spread out over her bed. She sat on top of her mattress for a while, gazing at the map while her eyes picked out the names of local landmarks that were noteworthy to remember.

Shrugging on her fur-trimmed jacket and pocketing the small parcel that Touko had given her in her breast pocket, Rekka pushed her long hair out of the way, picked up her keys by the counter and flicked the lights off, exiting her apartment.

The streets of Shinto were still bustling with people at this late hour. Rekka shuffled past the crowd, eyes wandering around as she glanced about the streets. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for the moment being. She walked on, aimlessly passing by various shops and restaurants.

Soon, she found herself close by the harbour, where the area had gotten considerably more quiet compared to the bustling downtown area of Shinto. Leaning against the pedestrian railing, she gazed out at the ocean. Although she had just arrived to the country and had been here for less than a day, her eyes were diligently scoping out the city for any "abnormalities" as Touko had put it. Nothing, but a cold, wintry wind. Shivering, she decided to call it a night and began heading back.

Until her senses flared up when a source of uncontrollable prana began to badly leak in a distant direction.

The ridiculous amount of prana rising rapidly then falling caught her full attention. Regularly speaking, this was way beyond normal. Rekka let out a sharp exhale, and held her breath as she focused again, pinpointing for the source. Another spike nearby nearly caused her heart to skip a beat. And thus, she began to run - back to the direction where she came from.

Passing through a quiet residential street, she heard nothing but the sound of her footsteps clattering noisily through the nightly reverie. The sudden sharp rise of prana was gone. But she was sure she had sensed it around this area.

_'Is it the Holy Grail that Touko-san mentioned?'_ She vaguely recollected, glancing about cautiously around her surroundings. It was strange how this part of town, not a soul was in sight, wandering the streets. Slowing down to a quick walk, Rekka soon found herself listlessly parading around the empty neighbourhood, searching for whatever magical residue she had felt earlier, in vain.

A cold chill was beginning to settle. Rekka stopped, hearing a distant scuffle resound somewhere close by. The sounds of uneven footsteps, fabric being scraped against the pavement, and inhuman grunts could be heard. Her heart quickened once more, as she carefully walked as quietly as she could, down the street.

Squish.

Something that didn't quite sound right came right below her foot. Rekka stopped, having reached halfway down the residential avenue, and glanced down curiously. Something pale and thin was protruding from beneath the soles of her shoes. Gently scraping her feet away, she was soon horrified to see a dismembered finger lying in a pool of splattered blood, slightly glistening beneath the dim light of the overhanging lamppost from above.

Immediately backing away from the single digit, Rekka swallowed and slowly glanced around. No one was in sight. She noticed that there were several more patches and blood splatter on the concrete, and began to follow after the trail. After a short tour around the corner, she saw that the trail tapered off into a dark alley where the neighbourhood trash were kept. Somewhere in her mind screamed at her to turn back - turn back now, it's not too late - but she couldn't turn back now, she had to find out where this blood was coming from -

The stench of blood filled her nose as she carried onwards, before stopping abruptly when she noticed a tall, looming man standing idly in front of a lump of unidentifiable mass. His back rose up and down sharply, as if he was breathing hardly from a wave of exhilaration. Upon hearing the sudden approach of an intruder, he turned around and revealed a lone, gleaming red eye in the shadows.

_Go back._

_Turn back, now._

_Run!_

With her breath caught in her throat, Rekka took a step back, unaware of the low-lying mist that was beginning to settle in the dark alley. Sharply glancing by the man's feet, she looked on in growing horror as a muddled lump of flesh lay on the floor, the chest and ribcage torn open revealing the glistening, white bones. Judging by the looks of the mutilated corpse and the strewn, torn clothing that lay lingering around the body, it was probably a woman.

Her heel kicked against something, and stumbling almost clumsily over it, Rekka looked down stiffly to see a bloodstained hand purse.

"AAnnotHERRRR...? cAn iiIIiIiIIiiIiiii... mAsTeR..?" The man's speech was distorted by a low gurgle, sounding almost inhumane if it were not for the vague pronunciation of words that came tumbling out of his mouth. A distant voice - a young man? - came a bit clearer than this savage. "Go ahead. I don't mind."

Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears. She could almost hear that sudden skip in her pulse when those words were uttered.

With reflexes that far surpass that of mankind, the hatted figure leap up into the air and sprang towards her. Run! Dodge it! Move aside! Her mind screamed, and with all her might, the young magus threw herself backwards, tumbling out into the open street. The man wasted not another second going after her again, hands drawing out tiny little blades that were stained with his previous victim's blood.

The chase was on. Rekka sprinted down the street like she had never done before in her life. Even as a magus, she knew defeating something of that caliber was beyond her abilities. The only way to ensure survival and a way out of this mess, was to run - and escape.

That is, if she could outrun him.

Never mind she just stumbled in some badly mutilated corpse.

Never mind the fact that there was some guy out there who's manipulating the strings behind this.

Just focus on getting the hell out of here.

The mist continued to surge forwards along with the man's movements, and in the distance the clouds were beginning to eclipse the full moon.

* * *

><p><strong>1219/2029 12:06AM  
><strong>**FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN  
><strong>**( RESIDENTIAL PLAYGROUND IN SHINTO )**

**"I ask of you - are you my Master?"**

The question was concise. Simple. But to her, not a word made sense even though it was spoken perfectly.

He seemingly paused for a moment, as if suspicious of her hesitance. Rekka opened her mouth, gaping for a moment but no words came out. What should she say? What did he expect her to say?

Yes? No?

How about, 'Could you repeat that for me, please?'

A sudden stinging sensation interrupted her confusion as she quickly snatched up her right arm, the skin on the back of her hand suddenly burning without warning. As she squinted through her pain, she could see a blood-red sigil being forcibly etched upon her skin - a tattoo that was carving itself into her flesh, magically.

_What on earth?_

The pain passed, and her brow relaxed in relief, slightly damp from perspiration. As she huffed heavily, holding onto her arm tightly waiting for the last lingering bits of pain to fade away, the green-clad stranger let out a sigh that sounded like an amused snort at the same time. "I see. So you have the Command Seals. That alone is enough for me."

Command Seals? She glanced up, perplexed confusion more than evident upon her face. "I... w-what?"

"You seem confused. That is a bit... inconvenient." His curt reply came. Rekka chewed her lip angrily. She didn't liked to be out of the loop on things, but she really couldn't get a handle on this. Was this part of Touko's plan? To have her summon some sort of prank?

The mist was growing thicker. It wasn't ordinary - foggy, in December? The hatted monster took a menacing step forwards, drawing out his blades once more. The lamppost that was the only thing shedding light in the area flickered for a moment, before being blown out - malfunctioning from the surge of increased prana in the air. This mis was not ordinary, all right - it was...

"I see, there's not much time to chat if the enemy decides to use his Noble Phantasm." Her saviour, or so he seems to be, accepted the challenge by stepping forwards, brandishing his two spears in a show of bravery. How frustrating. How humiliating! It was quite obvious that something dangerous was about to occur, but she has not an ounce of a clue exactly what was transpiring.

"Kkkkkiiiiiii..." A low hiss came from Mad Hatter. It was the best nickname she could come up with in her panic-stricken mind at the moment - a temporary name, at least, until she has a chance to gather her bearings and find out just exactly who his - or more importantly, what.

A shuffle of movement, as the two circled around each other, their eyes kept on one another without fail. And then it all happened in a blur - when she no longer saw the image of Mad Hatter, he had already leap six feet towards the spearman, wildly flinging out his arm in a crazy frontal attack. The spearman caught up on par however, his arm already rising up along with the red spear and parrying the short knives that tried to cleave his shoulder into shreds.

And then a series of complex maneuvers followed afterwards like an endless chain. Blows after blows were exchange, each man's killing intent rising to grow larger than the other. They weren't sparring simply for pleasure - they were fighting to kill. Unlike the situation where she was simply 'prey' and Mad Hatter over there, was 'predator' - this was a real battle. A battle between two 'predators' in their duel to the death.

It was hard to say who would result as the victor from the battle. Mad Hatter was quite tall, but he was skinny, lanky; fast. He could contort his body to impossible limits and counterattack within the blink of an eye. The Green Knight was shorter, a bit more bulkier, had a stronger build - his strength was evident at how easily his spear crushed the concrete, and his agility was perhaps even faster - but with Mad Hatter dodging his attacks and capable of firing his knives like projectiles, it was hard to secure a solid hit.

She also observed at how intelligent Mad Hatter was in conservatively keeping his distance one moment, before leaping in to take advantage of the long-range spear's weakness the next. The most vulnerable range of a long-ranged warrior would be, of course, their immediate airspace. The Green Knight must know his own weakness all to well, for he was beginning to take the defensive, utilizing an irregular pattern of attacking with both his two spears to ward off Mad Hatter's attacks while keeping himself well-defended.

While the lack of a clear outcome was rather upsetting, Rekka couldn't help but to watch their battle in speechless awe. They were certainly not human, as much as their appearances suggested. They were...

_Legends._

The breath she had been holding in came out sharply at the realisation. Heroes? Legends? Wasn't that...

_The Holy Grail?_

She breathed in again, the sparks of metal slaughtering against metal lighting up the playground pavement dancing before her eyes. Red and golden streaks raced across the black night while being countered by silver specks of the short knives.

Mad Hatter drew back, feet scraping along the pavement floor. "!" He screeched out, several of his blades running cracks along the edge. Compared to the Green Knight's spears which were heavy, leveled, and sturdily-built, the knives would crack from such intense pressure coupled with the spearman's strength.

The prana surge returned - and this time, a wave of nausea came crashing down on, wracking a painful sensation in her head. Rekka swayed on the spot, barely keeping herself firmly planted upon the ground as she struggled to comprehend the overload of prana in the area. "What is... he doing...?" She managed out between breaths, the pain returning to the back of her eyes. Mist was billowing out from Mad Hatter, prana leaking out horrendously everywhere.

The Green Knight stood regally tall and firm against the face of this new threat, but his brow was lined with worry. "So this is your true Noble Phantasm? This bounded field is your doing?"

Rekka swallowed. Bounded field. Reality Marble. Certainly, the playground was enveloped in a creeping mist that wasn't quite ordinary. Her vision was beginning to haze over, until she could barely see the outline of Mad Hatter and the Green Knight. She took a step forwards.

And the world reversed around her, spinning out of control. She toppled along, her steps unsure as her vision spun before her. Falling back to the ground in a dizzy slump, she blinked fearfully at her surroundings. Somehow, she was facing the opposite end of the playground park - no, where was she, exactly? Everything was clouded over and dark. Her sense of direction was blocked by the raging veils of prana, and the mist that impaired her peripheral judgment.

"Master, this seems to be a Reality Marble we're currently trapped in." Came the spearman's voice, his voice echoing out in all directions. How inconvenient - it seems like the bounded field distorted the direction of sound as well. "Again with the 'Master' thing." She muttered, picking herself back up. "This bounded field seems to be rather sturdy, if not a tad crude." Certainly there were misshapen cracks and flaws here and there where she would catch glimpses of the real world, but the mist was too prevalent to determine her exact location.

"As a Servant belonging to one of the three Knight classes, my Magic Resistance rank should be enough to repel a majority of the unscrupulous disadvantages." His voice came reverberating again. Rekka massaged her temples. Servant. Reality Marble. Magic Resistance rank.

And the Holy Grail.

Somehow it sounds like a game. Of statistics, magic equipment, creativity...

And luck.

"However," He continued a bit more cautiously this time, "I am genuinely worried about your well-being. With this mist in the way, I cannot discern your location, let alone secure your safety."

Rekka let out a slight snort. "First and foremost, I am a magus. You fight your battle. Take him out before the Reality Marble becomes more than a thorn at the side." Pulling back her sleeve, the long-haired woman closed her eyes, easing out the rippling waves of headaches and nausea that assailed at her continuously.

Before long, if she did not act, her mind will be broken by the Reality Marble.

"Understood." He replied, and then his presence was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>1219/2029 12:22AM  
><strong>**FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN  
><strong>**( WITHIN THE MISTY REALITY MARBLE )**

Lancer walked prudently and quietly, with Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe brandished languidly by his sides. The pavement road seemed to stretch on indefinitely. It was most certainly the work of a Reality Marble at work - distorting space and trapping its victims inside its bounded field, his opponent was rather crafty.

And quite the coward.

"Come out, you mongrel! Come and confront me so that I can cleave your head and present it to my Master as a gift!" He called out mockingly, taunting the hidden culprit behind the misty shadows. A sudden slight vacuum of air being drawn back from behind him came as a warning; whirling around, his red spear met the bared fangs of Mad Hatter's knives, the creature growling in discontent.

Before his yellow spear of mortality could pierce his opponent, the Hatter already jumped off, using his spear as leverage and tumbled silently back into the darkness.

"..." Lancer lowered his spear slightly, but still remained cautious as he glanced around him. He had lost him again. Damn.

Another cold rush of air. He swung around to meet the Mad Hatter, who was shrieking loudly in taunting laughter. Bounding away from Lancer's furious jabs and thrusts on light toes, Hatter was slowly drawing out more knives and blades from a back pocket hidden beneath his pea coat. Knives of all shapes and sorts were produced - a butcher knife, a serrated razor, surgical blades, and the like danced along his knuckles as he juggled and played with the dangerous toys. Lancer's brow furrowed at the sight - in total, six blades had been drawn. The previous silver throwing knives were discarded as they dropped to the floor in a dry clatter.

"So those are your Noble Phantasms - how strange yet unfortunate." He seemed to be confident despite the number of weapons Mad Hatter possessed outnumbered his two spears. "Although many you may have, you cannot possibly expect such cutlery can defeat my spears." As if to prove his statement, he twirled his spears in succession, assuming back into a fighting stance. "Good, this is good! Let's contest to see who can cut the other man first!"

With a powerful kick and a burst of power, Lancer sailed towards the Hatter, the crimson spear aimed for his heart. Hatter brandished his six, oddly-shaped knives and folded his arm over his chest, reciting a prayer - strangely, in a much more lucid voice than before.

_"Hail Mary, full of grace -_

_the Lord is with thee."_

Lancer had to flip his grip midway when one of the knives came soaring for his face, deflecting the blade and forcing him to change course.

_"Blessed art thou amongst women,_

_and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus."_

One, two, three - three more blades came streaking out from his gripped knuckles like a ravaging claw, brushing lightly against his left shoulder. Lancer hissed out in anger, retaliating with his golden spear as the previous serrated blade came flying back to Hatter's side.

_"Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,"_

Another knife came, hurtling towards the spearman's left arm, slicing at the ligaments that held Gáe Buidhe. Nearly dropping his golden spear, Lancer clenched his fingers down, feeling several nerves disconnecting.

_"Now, and to the hour of our death."_

The mismatched blades fell down by Lancer's feet, collecting a puddle of his blood from where the blades had connected so furiously fast within the span of the last half-minute.

Hatter smiled - he smiled a toothy grin, revealing his row of sharpened canines.

_"Amen."_

All six Noble Phantasms shot down before crashing down upon the knight, their blades poised to skewer, slice, and cleave.

* * *

><p><strong>1219/2029 12:25AM  
><strong>**FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN  
><strong>**( SOMEWHERE ELSE WITHIN THE MISTY REALITY MARBLE )**

Her mind was wracked with pain, but still, she persisted. If she could exploit a weak point somewhere and pick at it, the hole would eventually let her peel away this disgusting bounded field.

She had confidence in the man that had sworn (or so, it was implied) to protect her, would get through this battle no matter the outcome. She did not have any prerogative as to why she would feel this way, but simply perceiving him in those brief moments before had convinced her so. Little did Rekka know, but Lancer's 'Eye of the Mind' skill is quite high; perhaps his presence had simply influenced her into thinking as such.

Or, she could simply let the Reality Marble fade away by itself. But waiting out like a helpless chap wasn't her cup of tea.

Something that would disturb the caster's - Mad Hatter's - prana, might invoke some change within the bounded field.

"Working hard, aren't we?"

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice. A stranger yet not a stranger. She snapped open her eyes, finding herself staring face-to-face with a young man not much older than herself. Short, neatly-trimmed black air. A pair of rimmed glasses. A small smile.

All in all, he looked rather ordinary, if not a bit on the polite site.

"You - ! ...Who are you?"

He simply offered her a pleasant smile, bowing slightly. "So you are the seventh Master. I had great expectations of you once I saw that you were a magus." He pointed to his hand, before lifting it up. A blood-red sigil. A tattoo, of a different design, imprinted on the back of his left hand.

Somehow, it was uncanny.

Realising that she, too, possessed such a mark, she immediately glanced upon her right hand. The tattoo - it was still there.

"...does this mean you're... a 'Master' as well?" She cautiously asked, not wanting to reveal that she knew hardly anything about her current situation. If she could, she would have phoned Touko ages ago about this. But seeing as she's run into a bit of... trouble, that phone call would have to be saved for later.

"The Command Spells are proof of a Master, are they not? Or did you think I painted them on as a joke?" He laughed, his laughter light and jubilant. Rekka did not answer him. If he was a 'Master'... then that thing... Mad Hatter most likely was his 'Servant'.

She was beginning to get the gist of things.

He as no ally. He was an opponent.

He held his smile, his features unmoving. "...I see you catch on quick. That's good. It means you'll survive a little longer than most other people."

Rekka's arm pulsed with prana again, and lines that were unseen before gleamed a bright red before fading like a heartbeat.

"Gandr again, huh?" This time, his voice came off as disappointed. "Let me humour you with some information before you decide to do anything."

She paused, the load of prana that had accumulating at the tip of her finger being restrained back as her interest was piqued.

"My Servant's Noble Phantasm at best in most normal situations - is rather weak." He continued on, not caring whether she would answer him or not. "Simply speaking, each of his six 'Noble Phantasms' is only Rank D."

Certainly, she did recall commenting silently that the Green Knight's spears were much more refined than the flimsy throwing knives Mad Hatter had carried.

"But, if three conditions are met, his Noble Phantasm becomes Rank A." The male held out three fingers tauntingly, the mist swirling uncertainly around them. "One, if it's night time." One finger folded down.

"Two, if the weather is foggy."

Certainly, there was mist. Another finger folded down.

"And three, my favourite -" He smiled now - a sickening, sadistic smile that crept on his face like a crawling worm - "is if the victim is female."

The last finger wagged mockingly in the tense air.

The sudden realisation that, something was about to go very, very wrong struck Rekka. She froze, every bone in her body stiffening up as the fear she had felt from before return back, paralyzing her limbs.

"Do you know, Tsugumi Rekka? That right now, all three conditions have been perfectly met?"

She couldn't even ask him how he knew her name. She couldn't speak. Fear was lodged in her throat. She feared that if she glanced behind now, that would be the last thing she would ever see.

_He wasn't planning on finishing off the knight._

_All along... this entire time -_

_She was the prey._

...

...

...

Lancer knew that since the beginning, there was something off with his opponent.

The mongrel's attacks didn't seem to really harm him - as if, they were purposely inflicting the minimum amount of damage, as his Noble Phantasm's rank had suggested. Rank D - they were in no way, possibly any match for his Rank B Noble Phantasms, the Gáe Dearg and Gáe Buidhe. He could tell, as he exchanged blows with his opponent that he wasn't really serious - he was holding back.

He had no reason to, unless -

Lancer had realised it the moment the last line of the prayer had been uttered. The six blades that were to strike at him from above suddenly disappeared - along with the one-eyed enemy.

"Master - !" He turned around in sudden fury, knowing that he had been fooled. There was no need to think. His Eye of the Mind's skill will let him take his chances and see this through.

Even though his Luck was rather terrible, he would overcome it with skill.

Hoisting Gáe Dearg in his arm, he threw it as hard as he could, purusing the fading after-images of his opponent.

...

...

...

She could not move.

Not because of fear alone - but because by some will, some unseen force - she was bound to the ground, her body petrified. Was this the work of the Reality Marble? The opponent's Noble Phantasm?

"Kurogiri Hazuki is the name. But I doubt you would need to know that anymore." The lenses of his spectacles glinted in the dim night.

Was this the end?

How could she not have foreseen this? The hour, the fog and the mist...

...and the fact that the previous victim was also a woman…

Was she going to die here like this? Never really got to fight to the end? Never had the chance to show her worth as a magus?

Ah... well... it's "die or be prepared to die" in the world of magi...

Even though everything was happening in a split second, she could feel the sudden disturbance of the smoky air from behind, the putrid breath of the madman lunging at her with all six blades extended downwards aimed for her neck, and she could sense his blood lust so badly, that it prickled the hairs on the back of her neck and made her skin cold.

But her heartbeat continued to beat.

Quickly, before she could discern what had happened next, a sharp thud echoed in her ears.

A quiet flutter of movement akin to a bird landing from its flight, and then the sharp singing voice of metal striking the pavement floor.

The figure tumbled to the side, rolling across the floor as it writhed and screamed in pain, scattering all six of its morbid Noble Phantasms as they skittered across the ground. A deep gash appeared on its right shoulder, spurting out a fountain of blood that leaked out in intervals. The force that binded her on the spot relinquished its hold, and Rekka slumped to the ground on weak knees, noticing the tip of the crimson spear had buried itself on the ground right next to her.

"Master, are you alright?"

Landing expertly beside her and picking up his fallen spear as soon as he came, the knight stood up once more, brandishing his weapons aggressively. He took every precaution, it seems, to ensure that no further harm would come upon his benefactor.

Having him by her side was a great relief to her, as well as seeing that the mist was beginning to thin out, the normal world returning back to focus slowly. Rekka nodded dumbly, before realising he wouldn't be able to see her nod. "U-Um. Yes... y-yes, I think so."

The enemy Master seemed appalled that his Servant's Noble Phantasm he was so very proud of had been thwarted for the first time.

"...How can that be? All three conditions had been met. It should have been infallible!"

The knight did not speak. His brow was twisted in contempt. "Under normal circumstances, due to the chivalry of my status as a knight, I would bequeath you the reasons why I was able to defeat your Servant. However - what I found most inexcusable was this mongrel fleeing in the face of battle only to target my Master."

Kurogiri did not say anything, except grit his teeth in frustration. His howling, mad Servant was beginning to grunt angrily, eyes glinting with anger.

"...Withdraw, Assassin. I will let you have victory for tonight's performance... Tsugumi Rekka."

The Reality Marble disappeared completely, and the Master and his Servant were no longer there.

The knight let out a tired sigh, lowering his weapons. He did not seem to say anything more, simply surveying the area for a quick moment, and when he regarded the fact that they were safe for the time-being, turned to face her.

"I do wish that upon summoning me, I wouldn't have to be forced to engage in such an unsightly battle next time, Master." He solemnly stated with displeasure evident in his voice. Rekka frowned at this once more, pushing a hand against her knee and standing back up to her feet. Strength was returning back to her body now that she was relieved from the prana pressure of the Reality Marble.

"I didn't have much of a choice. Even I wasn't sure what would happen when I did." She chewed her lip furiously, tapping a finger on her arm as she stared at him, up and down. It was still a little hard to believe... but she had summoned a rather adept familiar.

No, calling him a familiar would be an insult. He was err... what did he say he was again?

"Master?" He called uncertainly, watching her gaze uneasily.

"Ah, Servant." She remembered now. He blinked back expectantly at her, as if she was a bit muddled. "Right, right. I'm, er... glad that you saved my life back there. Very glad." She concluded awkwardly, scratching the top of her head as she fumbled for words. As much as she knew, Rekka was a bit bad at being thankful due to her insufferable pride.

"It is my duty to protect you." He replied simply. She cracked a stiff shoulder, massaging it for a moment.

"Well... you do seem quite reliable..." Rekka mused aloud. "...though, I honestly don't have a good grip on the situation yet." With a sigh, she brushed some sand off her jacket sleeve, glancing around. It was already well past midnight - nearing one o'clock in the morning soon. And she was already covered in mud, sweat, rainwater, and grime from rolling around in the streets.

He didn't answer her, but simply stood stoically by the side.

"Well, I suppose you might give me some insight about what's going on. But this is hardly the place to do it. Err, I suppose we should head back... home?" Somehow, that last sentence sounded awfully wrong. It soon dawned upon her that her apartment was in no way, fit to cram two people inside, no matter how almighty and powerful he may be -

"Master." His voice was disturbed.

"What?" She crossly snapped back.

"...it appears that I cannot shift into my spiritual form."

She stared at him. "E-Excuse me?"

"My spiritual form. Somehow, I am lacking the skill to convert myself into spiritual form. This is greatly distressing, since I cannot accompany you under that veil of protection and stealth all Masters rely on."

His explanation was curt - he almost sounded annoyed at having to explain every bit and detail to her.

"Ah. You mean that was how Mad Hatter disappeared?"

He raised a brow at Assassin's nickname. "Er, well. Yes. That was him assuming spiritual form. Generally I should be able to do as well, without any problems, except in this case..." His gaze seared as they came across his Master's unassuming figure. "...perhaps, did you encounter any... mishaps when you summoned me?"

Rekka paled slightly, her smile crooked. "E-Er, well… towards the end of the ritual, my prana flow had been disconnected for a brief second…"

An unreadable expression came across the young man's face - distress? Worry? Or simply awe at the fact that he had been summoned to participate in the Holy Grail War, with such an incompetent Master?

Upon reading her Servant's unnatural silence, she flared up. "What? It's not like I can keep perfect composure when a psychopath was trying to cut me up like a turkey!"

He did not answer her immediately, but glanced around sharply. "...it would be unwise for us to bicker here while lingering around for too long."

Finally something she could agree on. "Right. I had forgotten to mention, but that Servant had already claimed a victim. Straying around these parts would attract the unwanted attention of the local authorities." She replied glumly, briefly remembering the obscured, grotesque visage of the women that had been killed almost an hour ago. "...though, I think it would be a problem if normal folk saw you walking around town brandishing those spears of yours." She pointed out bluntly, gesturing to his crimson and golden companions. The knight nodded curtly.

"True enough. Is there a particular route you would recommend?"

Rekka paused for a moment, pondering as her mind drew up an imaginary map of Fuyuki. "...by the harbour. The docks and the coastal roads are void of people at this hour." True enough, not just anyone would be wandering around the more desolate parts of Fuyuki at this time of the night. "Very well. Please lead the way then... er…" He trailed off, gazing at her expectantly once more. She gazed back him, silent.

"...What?"

"Your name, if you would so please." He bowed politely as he graced her with his honest question - she swear he was mocking her. Grinding her teeth for a minute, she huffed slightly. "Tsugumi - Tsugumi Rekka. You can just call me Rekka though."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Rekka-sama."

He was definitely mocking her.

"And you are?" She raised a brow conspicuously, glaring back at him. He smiled briefly - just only briefly.

"Please, just call me Lancer."

Lancer. What an odd name. Well, it would do for the time-being. "Alright, Lancer. Let's go." At her command, the odd duo of Master and Servant fled into the cloak of night. Below, the sparkling city of Fuyuki continues on, unaware of what will transpire in the next few months.


	4. parallax boundary iii

**Fate/fractal  
><strong>_by crisis rain_

* * *

><p><strong>1219/2029 1:08AM  
><strong>**FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN**

The overhanging lamp that was perched above her apartment door gave out an electrical moan as it flickered incessantly for half a minute or so; sparks of the black night pierced her vision momentarily as the light continued to buzz and flicker from above. Looking around carefully, Tsugumi Rekka withdrew her key and swiftly unlocked her front door.

The apartment was dark, save for a framed blue square of light shining from the lone window in the middle. She entered her rented home, and almost silently a figure followed after her, his presence and appearance completely baffling compared to his environment. Without a word, he followed her into the unlit apartment, wordlessly staring at his new surroundings with a keen eye.

She flicked the desk lamp on, and a small circle of warm light filled the room.

"Master -" His voice started, and she abruptly straightened up, casting a long shadow upon his features. "I've already told you this, but 'Rekka' is fine." She replied tiredly, fingers reaching around in the semi-darkness for the plastic of her phone. Fingers curled around the handle of the grounded telephone receiver, and the buttons lit up in the darkness.

The first thing she needed to do was call Touko. That's right - her mentor would know what exactly is going on...

Dialing the number she had memorized by heart, she sat silently in the empty room, hearing nothing but the soft buzz as the telephone attempted to bridge a connection. Lancer stood off by the side, seeing that his master was preoccupied eased against the wall, folding his arms over his chest as he rested for a moment - but remained alert.

There was a click, and then a small pause as the other end scuffled briefly in the static before a familiar voice answered. "_Hello?_"

"Touko-san, what is the meaning of this?" Rekka fumed immediately, leaping at the earliest chance to snip at her mentor. "It's barely been a day since I arrived and I'm already -"

"_Alright, hold on a moment there, Rekka._" Touko airily dismissed, letting out an audible sigh at the other end before pausing thoughtfully. "_Calmly explain the situation to me. Something happened, and you're not sure what exactly...?_"

"_Yes,_ something _happened_, and I believe you have the answers." Rekka firmly pressed. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. She drew in a deep breath and cautiously threw a glance over to Lancer's still figure in the darkness. He did not move, nor make any action but simply quietly stood there, perhaps listening, but remained alert.

She turned back to the phone receiver. "...I used up the artifact you gave me. I expected some sort of familiar, but this... this is much more sophisticated than any high-caliber magic I've ever seen."

There was a noticeable pause, and then Touko's voice came.

"_...You used the artifact? Already?_" An exasperated sigh was heard, but chuckling soon followed. "_This is much more interesting than I thought._" Touko murmured to herself amusedly. "_So you managed to come out in one piece, huh?_"

"Y-You _knew_? You knew that this - _this_ would happen?!" Rekka immediately protested, unaware her tone of voice was rising dangerously and that her servant had spared her an alarmed eye at her outburst. "I thought this job was to scout out the city's leylines, not playing some sort of deranged _battle royale_ with other dangerous magi - "

"_Oh, but I'm afraid,_" Touko paused as she huffed on her cigarette for a moment, "_that you're very much involved already with the matter. And though I wasn't expecting you to run into the existence of a Holy Grail War so quickly, I'm glad you're still alive._"

Rekka swallowed back the reprimanding words that were dangling on the tip of her tongue, after hearing the sincerity in her mentor's tone.

"_The first step is to stop panicking and consider your bearings. This means if you had followed through with the summoning ritual that must have meant that the Grail has chosen you to participate in the War._" Touko continued on fluidly.

"_Second, as proof of your status as a 'Master' in this war, you should have the Command Seals in your possession. They should resemble a set of red marks somewhere on your skin?_"

Rekka held up her right hand, staring at the crimson tattoo illuminated in the darkness from the glow of her lamp. "_...they're right there, etched on the back of my right hand."_ She confirmed in a hazy mumble.

"_Those are very important. Do not lose them._" Touko advised warningly. "_Lastly, you should have summoned a Servant after this whole hooplah. Unless you failed?_" Touko laughed bitterly. "_If you did, I would have charged you the artifact on your paycheck. It was rather expensive, after all._"

"_Please,_ Touko-san. Let's be cordial here." Rekka cleared her throat, uncomfortably glancing back at Lancer once more. His gaze had already subsided; eyes closed and arms crossed tightly as if he would not move, unless summoned.

"...Well, yes. I did. It was thanks to him, that I managed to... escape. There was another magus with a similar familiar - er, _Servant_." Rekka quickly corrected herself. "I followed a strange prana pattern earlier during the evening, and I discovered a... ahh... ah..." Reminiscing back to the true terror she had felt when she had encountered Assassin, she couldn't find it in herself to piece comprehensible words together; the words clogged in her throat as the experience began to replay itself.

"_It was an enemy Servant, no doubt. You probably know this by now... but a magus is no match for a Servant._" Touko explained carefully. "_Their magical parameters defy even the most illogical laws of magic itself, and their existence is only because of the Holy Grail._"

The young woman felt a slight chill run down at her spine at the mention of the Grail.

"_Listen, Rekka; you mustn't be afraid. It's only going to become much more dangerous from now on._"

"Wait, Touko-san -" She couldn't hang up just now, there were still so many questions that had yet to be answered -

"_Find the organizer. There is a supervisor from the Church who oversees and manages the participants of the Grail War. Whoever he is, he will tell you what's needed to know to survive._"

"Touko-san-!"

And the line disconnected, leaving behind the mechanical intonations that continued to ring methodically in the silence. Cautiously, Rekka placed the receiver back upon the phone set. Touko's cryptic words only served to fuel her insecurities and growing fear about her situation; without realizing, she had already broken out in a cold sweat. A hand wiped at her brow, and she sat there thinking for a long moment, wondering what her next course of action should be.

At this point, the knight raised his head slightly as if to remind his Master that he was still there. The warrior did not like to be ignored; no, it wasn't that exactly – it was more of him hoping that he wouldn't be confused with other Servants who prefer to cower and conceal their presence in the shadows. Her head seemed to be filled with many thoughts, he observed – but he would not stand by idly watching his Master troubling herself over the very notion of being deeply involved in war.

"Master," He began curtly only to witness Rekka's shoulders jump up in sudden fright. She turned to face him, looking genuinely alert but her stiff expression relaxed when she remembered that he was an ally. Lancer gazed at her, his tawny eyes observing before he opened his mouth once more. "…Master. I wish to speak to you about something."

Shifting her body so that she faced her Servant, Rekka's brow creased slightly as she frowned upon being called 'Master' again. It seems like he refused to address her by her name, after all. Since she was too tired to squabble over such things, Rekka decided to ignore it for now and reluctantly glanced back at her Servant; her eyes guided only by the little light her lamp had to offer.

"I'm aware… that there is a problem with our connection." He plainly spoke, casting his gaze back to the small floor space with the smallest of movements. There was a growing unrest inside his heart to bear the fate of having a young woman as his Master. But he was a knight, and a knight must abide by the code of chivalry. Woman or not, she was his Master after all. And a knight must answer to the summons and commands of his lord – or lady, in this case.

"A problem? I don't quite understand." Her answer came just as frank; her voice clearly showed him that she was not afraid to voice her opinions on matters. A very straight-forward personality, he had noted. "You've mentioned this before by the harbor. Something about… remaining in a physical state?"

_Good_, Lancer had thought. She seemed to be a level-headed person; one who wasn't lacking in the memory department. His heart eased up a little, but it would take some time for him to warm up to such a… different Master than what he was accustomed to. "Yes, about that; I had mentioned that perhaps during your summoning for me, the circuit that allows your transferal of prana is… how should I put it?" Lancer paused thoughtfully, his mind quickly searching for the word. "Ah, well. It's become crooked."

Rekka raised at brow at this. "Crooked? Well certainly I feel that there is a connection from my prana reserve flowing to you… but what do you mean by that?"

"Servants can shift into two forms. Simply put, when we are not doing battle or other tasks such as spying, surveillance and patrolling, to conserve your prana we can shift into a spiritual form." Somehow he found himself explaining himself; as very well a Servant should, but he was slightly exasperated from his fight with Assassin earlier and seeing that Rekka knew little to none about the rules of the Grail War put him in a bit of a bind. "In my spiritual form, theoretically I can still communicate with you mentally and vice-versa… but because of a minor disruption in the summoning ritual, that seems impossible for me to do."

Rekka gazed at him silently for a minute, slowly breaking down his information. She can confirm the validity of his words, for she can feel her prana slowly but steadily flowing into his being; prana that continues to keep his existence possible in the physical plane. "…I see. So like a switch that was supposed to be installed in your framework, you cannot 'switch' to spiritual form because of an error that occurred during the summoning." She slowly surmised aloud as the gears in her brain clicked together.

"Exactly. That ability that was supposed to be 'etched' into my existence is not present; therefore posing two main problems." Lancer closed his eyes, finally relieved that his Master understood of his situation. "First, my presence may bring you inconvenience due to this physical body taking up space. I cannot discreetly hide myself; Servants can detect each other's presences. Therefore you will be exposed as a Master if an enemy Servant happens to detect my presence, putting you in danger.

"Lastly, since I can only retain my physical form, this will mean a great taxation on your prana reserves in order to keep my existence intact in the physical plane." Rekka swallowed at his words, already beginning to notice the strain on her body. The fatigue from earlier before was beginning to take its toll; coupled with the fact that her prana was continuously being siphoned away to maintain Lancer's existence, she was feeling much more tired than usual.

"If you are not careful enough to keep your prana refilled, I may inadvertently in the worst scenario… kill you." Lancer had to pause for a moment before reaffirming his words. No matter how he would phrase it, it would make no sense to sugarcoat his words. It was a fair warning that he was giving to his Master in the best interest of keeping her alive for her own sake. Noting her silence, he gave her a small moment before continuing. "I will operate in the most efficient methods possible to keep the prana strain to a minimum."

He picked up his spears which had been lying by his side this entire while, and with a slight distortion they disappeared; willed away by their owner. Abruptly after that, a shower of light particles shone over his figure, and his armor and suit disappeared too – sitting before her was Lancer, intact and the same albeit decked in civilian clothing. Looking slightly startled at his sudden transformation, Rekka uttered not a word; for the words she could not say were locked in the middle of her throat.

"Without my spears and my armor, both of which are very potent to your prana, I can reduce the strain by sealing them away temporarily for now." He explained, to which Rekka merely nodded back. Feeling that he had been rather chatty tonight, he cleared his throat before relinquishing a few more words he had left to say in the matter. "For now, you must get some rest to recuperate the prana you've lost. I'm surprised you're still conscious even after the summoning."

Rekka touched her head. Strange, she could hear his voice, but her thoughts weren't processing them at all. Her temple as hot to the touch, but her sweaty, warm fingers did little to comfort the burning sensation. She was tired – unbelievably tired – and she swore she felt fit as a fiddle when she had phoned Touko about her situation until her condition suddenly worsened. Feeling the room sway beneath her, she grasped her knee for support; huffing in slow breaths of air.

Lancer began to notice the strange behavior his Master was exhibiting and immediately was alarmed. "Master—" He started, but she fell lightly upon the tatami mat before him, along with droplets of sweat that was beginning to form quickly along the line of her brow. Her flushed complexion and heavy breathing – his hand swooped down to touch her forehead. Her skin burned under his fingertips.

"…Collapsing just after I warned her about prana relapse." He muttered under his breath. But despite his words, he lifted her off from the floor, and quickly found her bed, easing her on top of the mattress. At the very least, he could ease some of her suffering. Until then, he will wait until she recovers. Sensing that she already had put up a barrier around the small room he found himself cramped in, he decided it would be wise to remain vigilant despite the precautions she had set up already. Sliding down to a seat beside her bed which merely consisted of a thick bed mattress placed against one side of the apartment, he sat there and closed his eyes.

He was not asleep; he was merely thinking while keeping his mind sharp and his instincts even sharper. Lancer leaned back against the soft yet firm edge of the mattress. Wait, he shall.

* * *

><p>A cage.<p>

For as long as she had known, she was trapped in a cage. She was imprisoned to a lifestyle that she could never fully bring herself to like. But she accepted it without a word of complaint because otherwise, she would have no home. And her family had been well to her – she had good food, a roof over her head, a soft bed to sleep in. And although she had all of those things, her life was still oppressed by tradition.

She could remember the sounds of laughter from the young children that passed by the front gates of the compound she was bound in. Their voices drifted from far away; but it sounded carefree. She would watch the few people that would pass by, silently envying their position from her windowsill.

It was already rather apparent that she was different than the other children. That fact was established at a very young age. She was told explicitly that she was different. That she had a higher purpose than the other children; that she was going to achieve great things for the name of her clansmen; and that she must strive for perfection. Because she was given a task to achieve great accomplishments, she must perfect everything that is considered 'regular' to make herself 'ordinary' in the eyes of her family.

She was envied but in return, envied people. Isolated from others, she was taught to hold herself in higher regard; that humans who did not even possess a magus lineage were not worthy of being equals to her. But the more she shut herself away from people, the lonelier she felt.

The long, hot summer days were coming to a boiling end. The girl stood by a grove of zelkova trees, standing outside in the garden; her figure bathed in the madder-red rays of sunset. In the unbearably hot heat, she could hear the first wails of a newborn behind the partition screen door. A powerful sound; it came strongly, crying from the heat and from the mere notion of being born.

The cicadas hummed and the crickets chirped endlessly; the sounds, smells and heat of summer melting her mind away.

* * *

><p><strong>1219/2029 3:27PM  
><strong>**FUYUKI CITY, JAPAN**

When she awoke, she thought she was still dreaming. The heat had been all too real. Convinced that it was still summer for a long moment, and that she was still trapped in that damn mansion, Rekka immediately sat up in shock, heaving deep breaths and shivering in the still silence when her eyes registered the unfamiliar surroundings. Slowly, her brain processed and confirmed the scenery of the rented apartment in Shinto. She let out a sigh, still feeling overwhelmingly tired and numb as if she was still battling the last stages of a rather nasty cold.

"Master."

Perhaps her senses were dulled by fever, for at the sound of someone's voice she sluggishly turned her head to confront and see who it was. An unfamiliar face peered at her from her right peered back at her. Dusky, unkempt waves of hair saddled back; a pair of tawny-amber eyes; a beauty mark, right below his right eye like a sorrowful teardrop.

Her chest clenched painfully, and Rekka leaned back a little to distance herself from her Servant. "Ugh… Lancer…" She muttered, shielding her eyes from the harsh, afternoon sunlight. No, not just the sunlight – but from just _gazing_ at her Servant made it rather painful to do so. No, that would not make much sense – perhaps it was just her imagination? Lancer merely nodded his head once. "It's already mid-afternoon. You've slept for more than half a day."

_Right. _Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Rekka was slightly mortified to see that she was still wearing yesterday's muddy pair of jeans and turtleneck to bed. _Great, more things to throw into the wash, _she thought dryly as she pulled the covers off. The nostalgic waves of summer left her mind in a hurry when she shivered in the cold, dry apartment. It was December after all; winter was coming. Stifling a yawn, she got up from bed despite her head feeling like a piece of concrete, and fumbled around for some things.

"You should eat something to quickly regain your strength." Her Servant came again. Despite the very stoic, firm expression on his face, one could easily tell he was masking his concern. It would be troublesome for Lancer to have her collapsing on him again. Rekka ignored him, shuffling the contents of her duffle bag before giving up trying to dig through her things. Picking up the bag, she dumped everything out upon her bed, and began to sort her belongings.

Grabbing a change of clothes, she marched right to the bathroom. "I'll eat after showering." And the bathroom door promptly snapped shut, with the sound of the lock clicking into place shortly after. Lancer glanced back at her messy bundle of belongings, letting out a silent sigh to see such clutter. Perhaps he could make use of the time right now. Surmising that enemy Servants would be less likely to launch an assault during mid-day, much less knowing their location, perhaps going out for a bit to gather some resources wouldn't hurt.

He'll be back in a short while anyhow, he reasoned.

And so he made his way silently out of the silent apartment, save for the muffled sounds of running water. There was much to do while his Master was preoccupied with her grooming and cleaning rituals; scouting out the immediate area, surveying their location… Closing the front door behind him, Lancer was greeted by the scenery of the bustling city in the distance; separated by a channel of water known as the Mion River, the apartment faced the metropolis district of Fuyuki City. Using the railing as a ledge to push himself up upon the roof, he leapt upon the two-storey apartment complex building and stood in the cold wind, his sharp eyes glancing over the entire city.

The sunlight glinted, and the figure disappeared.


End file.
